Snippets and musings from the mind of Miranda

I sigh as we pull up to the old, red house. It looks like all the other houses in the suburbs that we’ve looked at so far. Far from home, Mom, and all my friends. But apparently being 17 means that I don’t get a say as to where I finish out my last year of high school. Apparently waiting a year and letting me finish school with my friends and then moving out on my own or going to college isn’t a good enough argument when confronted with ‘I’m your Father, I said so.’ Ass. So now I am stuck looking at new houses all summer with Dad and his new, fifteen-years-younger-than-him wife Mindy. Dad starts to say something, but I turn up my iPod to drown him out. He isn’t going to say anything new anyway, just the same bland, cookie cutter chat about this house like he has all the rest. ‘Ooh, look at the nice bay windows. Wow, real wood trees.’ I’d rather listen to my acid rock than him and Mindy banter back and forth about nothing. I sink into my seat in the back of the car and try to get more comfortable. Maybe take a nap or something. Dad keeps looking at the clock, I guess the broker is late. Oh well. Just as I close my eyes Dad taps my leg and motions for me to take the head phones out.Read More »

Writing Update! I’m doing Camp NaNo this year (my first year for this as well!). My goals are to finish and completely edit my novel, so it’s ready for beta in May! Stay tuned for updates about the novel process! And then, hopefully, publication?

Just an update! So, I have an official name for the book now, and the series itself (yup, I said series) is going to be the Chronicles of Corinth. I am sure you’ve all been curious about that in my slight blog absence, hehe. The book isn’t done yet, but getting closer and closer. I am super excited about it! Okay… well… yeah. So, still alive, still writing…

Just a little update: Y’ALL I WON! That’s right, your girl Miranda won early with an end of day count at 51,551 words! I’m not done with the story yet, but I did win my very first official NaNoWriMo! So yeah! Woot! Okay, that’s all for now. I’ll update y’all more later with where the book’s at.

It was a crisp fall Sunday morning in the small town of Lancaster, some six miles outside of the greater Corinth Metropolitan Area. This Sunday was like every other, the entire town’s population driving or walking up the cobblestone path to that white washed country church, nestled atop the only hill fully cleared of trees. Richard, in his paint stained blue overalls and worn beige dress shirt, was spot painting the sign out by the road as parishioners arrive. There was a cold bite in the air, the grass still frosted from the chilled night before.

The inside of the church was a warm welcome compared to that cold, biting breeze that greeted the later arrivals. Soon, the parishioners, all dressed in their Sunday finest, started to fill into their not officially assigned, but clearly claimed pews. Polished, dark wooden pews that offered no comfort to the people sitting. But their faces would never betray their discomfort. The church smelled of incense mixed with the many contrasting colognes and perfumes of the congregation. Chatters turned to murmurs, which then turned to silence and attention as Brother Fletcher approached the podium.

It’s NaNoWriMo Eve. I think I am ready, but we’ll see. Anyway, I haven’t planned too much, but I have quite a bit plotted. I am pretty pleased with my cast of characters, which you’ll meet tomorrow. Some of them, anyway.

So! I have decided that I am going to bite to bullet and just delve into Urban Fantasy. I love the genre, but I have never written more than a few short stories in it. I think that what keeps me back a lot of the time is that I just get in my own way. So I am committing to writing a novel in the genre. All of the other novels I have even started have been like mediæval fantasy or futuristic sci-fi. So now’s the time!

Anyway! The novel is tentatively called “Chronicles of Corinth”. It’s an urban fantasy/urban horror set in the fictional American city of Corinth. Here’s the quick synopsis I shared on NaNo, along with a cover mock-up for fun:“Corinth is an American Metropolis, sprawling across state lines, nestled on the Great Lakes. It is equal parts Gothic, Deco, and Cutting Edge; a city of diverse cultures and peoples in these modern days of Reaganomics and heightened Cold War tensions. But despite the threat of war abroad and the rise of government and police corruption at home, there is a bigger threat to the citizens of Corinth. Satan is on the prowl, and try as any Good Christian might to reject his influence, he has none the less unleashed upon the city his demons, witches, and things that go bump in the night…”

So there we have it! An update. A thing I am going to write. Because I don’t have enough anxiety as it is. So why not commit to writing a novel in a month. OH GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!

NaNoWriMo?!
So, I have known about NaNoWriMo for like ever, and even informally participated like… once. But this year I figure why the hell not? I have the time, and I really need something to keep me on task for a little while. I have no idea yet what I am going to write. Debating on maybe Urban Fantasy or Romantic Fantasy or maybe Science Fantasy (so much fantasy…) But I have a few days to really figure it out.

I will, however, be posting the chapters on my blog. Why? Because that is something that will also keep me on track? Hopefully? Either way, you get to read my progress, in its raw, unedited form! I’ll also either update when I have decided what I am going to write, or I’ll just start posting and then you’ll see what I decided on. Whichever comes out more organically. So… yeah. Stay tuned!